Olympics: Baxter covers up after bad hair day

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Great Britain's leading skier Alain Baxter appears to have averted a run-in with the International Olympic Committee, thanks to a bottle of hair dye.

British officials were concerned that Baxter's participation in the slalom on Saturday could have been threatened by the cross of St Andrew which the proud Scot – nicknamed "the Highlander" – had dyed into his hair.

The IOC's charter forbids athletes using the exposure and publicity of the Games to make a political statement, which could have been construed from Baxter's national pride.

But the Aviemore skier said: "I've already had the cross dyed so it doesn't resemble a Scottish flag anymore. It wasn't a political statement. I'm just proud to be Scottish."

Baxter will not compete in the giant slalom as expected after injuring his knee in a nasty fall but will race in his favoured event, the slalom.

"Although my knee is a lot better, I don't want to jeopardise my chances in the slalom by racing the GS and suffering an injury," he said. The Great Britain team manager Christian Schwaiger added: "The accident was scary. Alain went about four feet in the air. He will be covered in bruises. It was an accident but that is what happens in ski racing."

The former president of the IOC, Juan Antonio Samaranch, famous for his generally glowing closing ceremony ratings of Olympics during his 21 years in office, was predictably effusive about Salt Lake City yesterday.

"These are wonderful Games, these are the best facilities I have ever seen," Samaranch, 81, said. "If you are speaking in figure-skating terms I will give a six to Salt Lake."